Arch supporting shoe



Get. 25, 1938.

D. F. WALKER 2,134,221

ARCH SUPPORTING SHOE Filed Sept. 11, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

InvenTor. Doris F. WdIKer Get. 25, 1938. D W KER 2,134,221

ARCH SUPPORT ING SHOE Filed Sept. 11, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenTor.

Doris, F. WolKer WMMIW ATTys.

Patented oa.25,193s I 1 I 2,134,221

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE ARCH snPPoR'rmG SHOE Doris Franklin Walker, Gastonia, N. c. I Application September 11, 1937, serial No. 163,402 1 t 1 Claim. (01. 36-85) This invention relates to an arch-supporting Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the botshoe and a method of making the same. tom of an insole with a different form of arch- One of the objects of the invention is to provide supporting shank member applied thereto; a novel arch-supporting shoe which will give a Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the arch-sup- 5. more adequate support to the arch of the foot, porting shank member illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3

and I accomplish this by using a relatively wide, and 4; properly shaped arch-supporting shank member Fig. 8 is adiagrammatic perspective view of which underlies the insole of the shoe and which the shoe upper Showing the extension thereon is of a width and shape to extend at least to the which is carried across the shank member;

inner edge of the insole along the shank portion Fig. 9 is a view of a pad member which may 10 thereof, and in order to make a proper connecbe inserted between the insole and the shank tion between the upper and the insole on the inmember in order to increase the arch-supporting side of the shoe at the shank portion I propose quality of the shoe;

to provide the upper with an extension on its Fig. 10 is a section on the line lll--l0,'Fig. 9. inner side which extends across and underlies the I have herein illustrated my invention as it 15 shank member and is secured to the insole along might be embodied in making a welt shoe in which the outer edge thereof. the outer sole is cemented to the shoe bottom.

In making my improved shoe the insole and In the drawings, l indicates the insole of the shoe, shank member are .assembled as usual and then 2 is t pp 3 the lining for the PP If the the edge of the upper is attached to the insole invention is embodied ina welt shoe I propose to 20- from a point on the inner edge thereof immediprovide the insole with an inseam-receiving rib ately back of the ball of the foot and immediately 4 to which the edge I! of the upper and the welt in front of the shank member, around the .toe 5 is sewed as indicated at .6 in Figs. 3 and 4. portion and along the outer edge of the outsole In order to provide an adequate support for by any suitable orvusual means. The extension the arch of the foot Ipropose to employ an arch- 25 on the inner edge of the upper is then drawn supporting shank member of somewhat resilient across the shank portion of the shoe and semetal, which shank member is of a width and cured to the insole along or adjacent the outer shape to extend at least to theinner edge of the edge thereof at the shank portion. The outer insole along the shank portion thereof. In Figs. sole may then subsequently be attached to the 1 to 4 this'arch-su'pporting shank member is in- 30 shoe bottom, preferably by the cementing operdicated at I and it is secured to the insole in the ation. usual way by means of tacks that are driven In order to give an understanding of the inthrough holes 8 formed in the heel end thereof vention I have illustrated in the drawings some for that purpose. The shank member I is formed selected embodiments thereof which will now be on ts inner e with an p y ed X- 35 described after'which the novel features will be tension .9 which curves around and partially empointed out in the appended claim. braces the inner side of the shank portion of the In the drawings: foot, and where this form of shank member is Fig. l is a bottom view of an insole adapted employed I will preferably make .the insole with 40 for use in makinga shoe embodying my improvean extension vl'll projecting from its inner .edge at 40 ments, the dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicating the the shank portion thereof, said extension I!) of shape and location of the arch supporting shank the insole having a shape corresponding to the member; extension 9 of the shank member.

Fig. 2 is a view of the arch-supporting shank In making a welt shoe the insole will be so member before the extension is given its curved made that the inseam-receiving rib 4 will termi- 45 shape; nate on the inner edge portion of the insole at Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3, a point immediately back of the be of the foot Fig, 5; and immediately in front of the shank member Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing I as indicated at H in Fig. 1. The toe portion I2 the edge of the upper extension sewed to the in.- of the upper is formed with an extension 13 on 50 seam-receiving rib of the outsole; the inner edge, said extension l3 being of a length Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a shoe emto extend across the bottom of the insole. bodying my invention, said figure illustrating the In the making of the shoe the latter is lasted shoe after the upper has been attached to the in the usual way exceptthat during this operainsole but before the outsole has been applied; tion the extension l3 of the upper is drawn across 55 the shank portion of the insole and secured thereto at the outer edge thereof in some suitable way as by means of tacks l4.

If the shoe is a welt shoe then the welt 5 and the edge I! of the upper will be sewed to the inseam-receiving rib by the stitches 6, this operation being similar to that employed in making welt shoes except that on the inner side of the insole the welt will terminate at the end ll of the inseam-receiving rib,, as shown at in Fig. 5. If desired, the extension l3 of the upper which underlies the shank portion of the insole may be of sufficient length so that the edge [8 thereofwill lie against the outer face of the inseam-receiving rib 4, in which case said edge 3' o f the extension l3 will be sewed tothe inner side of the inseam-receiving rib during "the operation of stitching the welt and upperltol the outer side of said rib. This will produce a shoe constructed as shown in Fig. 4. -After the welt has beenthus secured to the shoe then the outsole [9, indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4 may be cemented topthe shoe bottom in any approved way.

By making the arch-supporting shank member I with the extra width at the shank portion andgiving it the shape shown'in Figs. 1-4 said shank provides an improved andadequate sup-. port for the arch at the shankof the foot. Al though-the presence of. the metal shank member which has its edge extending to thelinner edge of the insole along the shank portion prevents the upper from being attached directly to the inner edge of the insole at this point, yet by making the upper with the extension. I3 which extends across the shank of the insole and which is secured to the insole at the outer edge thereof, a shoe is provided in which the upper and insole are properly held together attheshank portion.

Instead ofhaving the shank memb'erformed with the upwardly curvedextension 9 as shown in Figs; ,1-4 and in Fig. '7, I mayemploy a shank member 1a constructed as'shownin Fig. .6 and which is formed so that the inner edge 22 thereof comes substantially flush with the inner edge 2| of the insole at the shank portion. This form.

{I'he arch-supporting... shank member 1a is shaped so that its inneredge 22 which is substantially flushwith the inner edge 2| of the insole is of considerable length andtextends. approximately to the heel portion.

. It will be noted that in all forms of. the invention the arch-supporting shank member extends at least to the inner edge of the insole at the shank portion of the shoe and thus provides a more adequate support-for the arch. It will also be noted that in order to-securea proper connection between the upper and the insole at the shank of the foot said upper is provided with the extension l3 which extends across the insole and underlies the shank member and is secured to the insole along the outer edge portion thereof either by tacks I4, as shown in Figs, 3 and 5, or by having its edge l8 stitched to the inseam as shown in Fig. 4.

The arch-supporting shank member 1 or la may be placed directly on the bottom face of the insole as shown in Figs. 4. and 6, in which case both the lining and the outer ply of the extension l3 of the shoe upper would lie across the shank member, or said shank member might be inserted'between thev lining portion of the extension 13, and the outer ply portion as shown in Fig; 4.

While'Ihave shown-the invention as applied to a weltv shoe, yet it is equally applicable to shoes'of other types, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the use of the invention in connection with a welt shoe.

1 An advantage of my improvement is that if it is found that the arch-supporting shank member does not give suflicient support to the arch it is possible for the person wearing theshoe to remove the edge portion In of the insole from the arch-supporting member and insert a pad 20 of felt or similar material beneath the edge of the insole. This will have the eifect of raising the edge of the insole at the shank of the foot and thus providing additional support for the arch.

I claim:

A shoe having an insole provided with an inseam-receiving rib having one end terminating at a point on the inner edge of the insole immediately back of the ball and extending from said point around the toe portion and along the outer edge of the shank, a metal arch-supporting shank member beneath the sole having its inner edge extending substantially to the inner edge of the insoleat the shank portion and being of a width to extend from said inner edge across and beyond the median line of the insole, a welt coextensive in length with said inseam-receiving rib, an upper having its edge secured to the inseam-receiving rib and to the welt throughout the entire extent of said rib, said upper having on its inner face an extension which extends across the insole and shank member and the edge of which is secured to 'the insole along the outer marginal portion thereof, and an outsole cemented to the exposed portion of the insole, the welt and said extension of the upper, said shoe being weltless on the innerside of the shank portion thereof for the full width of said upper extension and the insole being free from the upper along the'weltless portion of the inside of the shoe.

. DORIS FRANKLIN WALKER. 

